


Too Dumb For You

by aeilmy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Oblivious Lance (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), just a little though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-14
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-06-10 06:15:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15285471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeilmy/pseuds/aeilmy
Summary: Keith tries to confess. Lance misunderstands. Miscommunication and feelings ensue.





	1. Chapter 1

 

“Hey Lance? Can I ask you something?”

 -

Keith knew from the start that this was a bad idea. Asking his own crush for advice?? AbOuT CrusHeS????

Under normal circumstances, he would’ve gone to Shiro for advice, but he’d practically asked everyone on the ship for advice, save for Lance.

They all said the same thing.

“Just be straight with him!”

Funny, that was hard to do when Keith was gay as hell for Lance. Literally, he could out-bend those bendy rulers. That’s just how hard he had fallen.

Keith wasn’t sure why, but something about Lance’s jokes and brilliant smile could make his day in a second. Seeing him was like taking a breath of fresh air after being stuck in a prison all day long. It was freeing to be around him, even if he was a little frustrating to deal with every once in a while.

Since everyone else’s advice proved to be useless, Keith naturally sought out Lance. He was mulling around in the lounge area, seemingly trying to take a nap on the couch before Keith spoke to him.

 -

Without stirring, Lance responded.

“Yeah, Mullet. What is it?”

Keith scowled at the nickname, crossing his arms in a defensive position. It wasn’t that Lance said anything that particularly offended him, but the nickname was still a little annoying from time to time. Besides, his hair didn’t even look like a mullet. It was just a little on the longer side.

Lance opened one eye, smirking at Keith’s reaction. Seeing the other enjoy his misery was even worse, but it wouldn’t help the situation if he got any more annoyed. Deciding to be the bigger person, Keith simply let out a sigh, massaging his temples.

“I’m kind of in a situation here,” Keith started.

Lance looked at him fully now, sitting up and placing his chin to rest on his hand.

This was good. This meant that Lance was taking what he was talking about seriously.

Lance nodded in understanding, prompting the other to go on.

Keith’s eyes darted to the ground.

“Okay, well, I’m kind of interested in this person…”

The other’s eyes slightly widened in response, and he motioned for Keith to come sit next to him.

Keith did as he was offered, taking a seat next to Lance. Their knees bumped together, the proximity a nice comfort.

“And I’ve been trying to let them know, but it’s a little… difficult.”

Lance reacted now, asking, “Well, what do you mean it’s difficult? Shouldn’t they just know?”

Keith shook his head. Gesturing with his hands, he tried to explain.

“No, you don’t understand. I’ve been dropping them the most insanely obvious hints for like a year now. No response.”

The corner of Lance’s mouth quirked up, and Keith’s heart started skipping beats. God, it was a sin to be this handsome.

“Wow. They sound stupid.”

That… was not the answer Keith was expecting. He backtracked, trying to make Lance understand.

“But they’re not! They’re actually really smart- just dense.”

Lance turned and looked away, and Keith could hear the tease in his voice.

“Maybe you need to be more obvious? Like… I don’t know, ‘Hey, I love you!’”

Keith immediately ducked his head down, staring at his hands that were now resting in his lap. Could he really just do that? It was definitely obvious… and there was no way of miscommunication. Plus it would be the quickest way to let Lance know.

He blushed, thinking about the million possible outcomes. If Lance felt the same way, would they start dating? Would their relationship change a lot? Would Lance feel all the butterflies in his stomach and heart skipping like Keith?

But with all the positives, there were also the negatives. If Lance didn’t reciprocate his feelings, there would be an awkwardness that wasn’t previously present. Their relationship would probably tense. Could they even stay partners?

Keith juggled with the idea in his head, the dilemma seemingly ruining his life in a mere five seconds. He was about to decide on not confessing at all when he heard Lance’s voice.

“Hey man, are you okay? I know it’s really scary to confess so you don’t have to do anything. It was just a suggestion.”

Keith glanced up, and the genuine look in Lance’s eyes almost stopped his breathing. That beautiful, beautiful ocean blue was focused on him. He could find so many emotions in those eyes at any given time, and right now they were so focused and real that Keith almost felt overwhelmed.

And Keith knew. In that moment he knew. He wanted to let Lance know that he liked him. Wanted to feel all the mushy feelings and take the risk.

He scratched his head, averting his gaze to the side.

“I guess you’re right. Hey, Lance, I love you.”

Lance’s face brightened up, and Keith felt a glimmer of hope. This was great. A positive reaction meant Lance felt the same way, right? He smiled, his corners of his mouth slowly upturning. This was great, actually. It felt good to finally say it out loud.

When he looked up, Lance had a twinkle in his eye. He smiled, making Keith smile back in response. The other gave him a thumbs-up.

“See? Just say that!”

And in one moment, Keith’s glimmer of hope was crushed. Wow. Obvious as that, but Lance still couldn’t get it.

His smile disappeared almost immediately, but a small curve still remained.

“Holy fucking shit,” he said, raising his hand to his mouth. Whether it was to cover his smile or out of embarrassment was undetermined. What Keith did know, though, was that Lance was an absolute idiot.

He sulked in his thoughts, still a little entertained by just how oblivious Lance was. Of course it hurt a little, but the ridiculousness of the situation outweighed it all. This was the type of stuff you read about on Tumblr threads. It was the stuff that happened in books, not in real life.

Lance leaned over, placing his hand on Keith’s shoulder. He had a lopsided smile set on his face, and made direct eye contact with Keith. Raising his finger as if in lecture mode, he said seriously, “If that flies over their head, then sorry Keith, they’re too dumb for you.”

Keith’s mouth dropped a little. He thought it was a joke at first, but Lance really didn’t know that was directed to him.

“Right. Thanks, Lance.”

“Yup! What are paladins for, right?” Lance said, beaming.

Keith could’ve sworn his smile seemed a little too forced, his eyes tinged with some hint of sadness. He let go of it though, unsure if there really was something off about Lance or if it was just a trick of the light.

Getting off the couch, he headed for the training room. Nothing but a good training session could distract his mind from this whole fiasco.

“Hey, Keith?” he heard on the way out.

Turning around- albiet little hopefully- Keith looked at Lance. “Yes, Lance?”

“Good luck with your crush,” accompanied with a thumbs-up and a wink.

Keith chuckled slightly, heart panging the slightest bit.

“Right. Thanks Lance,” he parroted from earlier.

 -

On his way to the training room, Keith tried not to wallow too much in self-pity. Technically, it could’ve gone worse. Of course, the situation wasn’t ideal, but Lance hadn’t flat-out rejected him. There was still hope.

Keith rolled his shoulders back, new perspective in tow and newfound hope building in his heart again. He could do this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello! This was inspired by a shitpost by the incredible captainlumin on Tumblr. Go give her a follow! I've linked the art below.  
> https://captainlumin.tumblr.com/post/174654687489/i-saw-this-on-my-timeline-and-thought-of-klance-
> 
> Okay SOOOO  
> I'm not exactly sure if I should continue this or just leave it as a oneshot. If you guys would like, I can try to continue it and update about once a week. Let me know in the comments below. All the love!


	2. Chapter 2

Lance sighed, a long and dramatic exhale. Slumping back on the couch, he closed his eyes and remembered the look on Keith’s face.

“Hey, Lance, I love you.”

Replaying over and over in his mind, those four words. They were so simple, and they seemed so genuine when Keith said them. Damn. This sucked ass.

The faint blush on Keith’s face, the way he averted his eyes as he said the words so quietly Lance almost didn’t hear him clearly. Lance couldn’t get that moment out of his head.

He kept replaying the scene in his mind, imagining that it was an actual confession.

Wait… this meant that Keith actually had feelings for someone… and that someone wasn’t Lance.

“AHhHHHHHHHH,” he screamed in frustration, covering his eyes with his hands and throwing his head back.

“Lance, are you okay? I thought I heard a girl screaming and I got worried!” Hunk came running in, bless his kind heart.

“No, Hunk, I think I’m _dying_ ,” Lance moaned, agony clear in his voice.

Hunk raised an eyebrow, lifting one of Lance’s hands from his face.

“You okay, buddy?”

Lance opened an eye, looking at Hunk out of the corner of his eye.

“No.”

“Okay, well, what’s wrong? You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“Mmhmm.”

“And that means absolutely anything.”

“Mm.”

“Lance, I can’t help you if you’re not going to tell me what’s up.”

“Hunk, it’s terrible. I think I’m going to die. I’m suffering. Save me from this hell that I’m stuck in right now.”

Hunk rolled his eyes, dropping Lance’s arm and taking a seat on the couch.

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about right now dude,” Hunk murmured from beside him.

Lance sighed again, a mimic of his sigh from before. Long and deep, he exhaled. Hunk eyed him wearily.

“It’s Keith,” he mumbled.

“What was that? You’re speaking too quietly, Lance.”

“Keith.”

“Who?”

“Mullet.”

“Can’t hear you buddy.”

“IT’S ABOUT KEITH,” Lance practically yelled. His whole face felt hot at his sudden outburst, realizing just how loudly he’d said it.

Hunk widened his eyes in surprise, a smirk following soon after.

“Oh realllllyyyyyy now?” he sang teasingly, winking at Lance.

Hunk was one of the only two people who knew about how Lance felt about Keith, the other being himself. This meant a lot of side glances and knowing smiles whenever the two would interact.

-

“So, you really don’t remember the bonding moment, huh?”

“No, Hunk, I don’t. And even if I did, it doesn’t matter. It’s not like he demolished Sendak or something. I helped him first by shooting the guy,” Lance remarked. “And besides, his combat was a little sloppy. I think it was because he was distracted by what happened between us.”

Oh, fuck.

The corner of Hunk’s mouth twitched, and he looked at Lance with a twinkle in his eye.

“Wait, no, I meant. Uh… I mean. I wouldn’t know, I just assumed he wasn’t as focused because Shiro and I were hurt.”

“Right, right,” Hunk smirked. “It totally wasn’t because you actually did remember the bonding moment. Or because you have a big fat crush on Keith.”

Lance’s whole face turned red, a slow process starting from his cheeks and ending at his collarbone. He covered his mouth with the back of his hand, pretending to cough.

“Of… of course not!” he protested. “Who would have a crush on him? Keith’s the worst. He made fun of me for gagging at the food goo the first day we tried it, and then gagged after he ate it. Who would like an idiot like him? Not me,” Lance rambled, eyes looking everywhere but at Hunk.

“It’s okay, buddy, I’ll keep your secret,” Hunk assured Lance, hand placed on the other’s shoulder. He winked.

“Ah… But… There’s no secret for you to even keep!” Lance sputtered, clearly fighting a lost battle.

“Yeah, yeah, Lance. I hear you. Anyway, I have to help Pidge rewire a galra device we picked up during our last infiltration, so I’ll talk to you later, okay Lance?”

Hunk left, smile on his face and a little skip in his step.

“And try to be a little less obvious, will you Lance? Keep looking at Keith with those eyes and the whole castleship will know before either of us can finish saying quiznak.”

“HEY!”

-

“So Lance, did he finally kiss you? Did he profess his undying love for you? Or did you finally admit that you never hated him in the first place and you’ve been hiding your crush this whole time?” Hunk asked teasingly.

Lance, to his credit, didn’t react much.

He became less and less animated, fiddling with his fingers and eyebrows creasing. He closed his eyes and pursed his lips.

Hunk noticed the lack of response and stopped his questions, taking a moment to really look at Lance. Something was up. He wasn’t cracking jokes and blushing like expected.

“He said he likes someone…” Lance almost whispered.

“Oh,” Hunk responded. His face turned to one of pity and concern, hand reaching out to comfort Lance.

“I don’t even know what I expected. Of course Keith wouldn’t like me. I thought our dynamic changed over the past year, and maybe that meant he liked me, but I guess I was being too hopeful?

“I bet the person he likes is really quick on their feet. And charming. And nice and handsome or beautiful and quirky and good at everything I’m not, haha.”

Lance took this moment to look at Hunk. He didn’t like the expression on his best friend’s face.  
“Can I have a hug?” his voice cracked.

“Oh, Lance,” Hunk exhaled, arms reaching out.

“I’m not going to cry,” Lance said under his arm.

“Okay,” Hunk replied gently.

“It’s just…”

A single tear fell from Lance’s eye.

“It felt so real, you know? I told him to tell the person he liked directly, because he said they hadn’t been catching onto his hints. And you know what he said?” Lance laughed a little too forcefully.

“He said, ‘Hey, Lance, I love you,’” he practically whispered.

“And that hurt, man. Someone else is going to hear those words and they’re going to live happily ever after and I’ll never get my chance because I blew it before I even knew I had one.”

“You know,” Hunk started from above Lance, staring at the ceiling. “Keith actually came to us, asking what he should do to tell his crush that he liked them. We all told him the same thing, to tell him directly. But we all assumed that person would be you, Lance.”

Lance jolted the slightest bit, the last sentence catching him off-guard. They thought he would be the one, huh?

“It’s okay, Hunk. Thanks for the hug. And the talk. I feel a lot better now,” Lance smiled, a bit broken but still there.

Hunk tried smiling back, patting Lance’s back a few times for reassurance.

“You’ll be alright, Lance.”

“Yeah, I know.

“I think I’m going to head to my room now. Need to be alone for a little, you know?”

Lance rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks again, Hunk.”

“Anytime, buddy.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I'm pretty sure I posted and edited this about 500000 times because I couldn't figure out the whole situation with the author's notes BUTTTTTT it's here and it's done!!   
> ALSO GUYS I'M STILL FREAKING OUT ABOUT ADASHI,,,, THANK YOU SM DREAMWORKS AND THE VOLTRON CAST AND CREW


	3. Chapter 3

Exhaustion was creeping into every fiber of his being. An hour or so had passed and Keith was still training, hoping to work his way up to level four.

Sweat dripped down the sides of his face and down his neck.

One, two, duck, slash, repeat.

Keith was used to this pattern of close combat. Even though the robots were advanced, he got used to their attacks after repeating the level on previous days. With his body moving on its own, Keith found his mind trailing back to Lance.

“’Good luck with your crush,’” he had said, so sincerely that Keith almost wanted to have another crush talk to hear Lance’s voice that way again.

Lance was so oblivious it was almost saddening. How did he not understand that Keith was confessing? He actually said the words, face-to-face. Was the situation not obvious enough? Or did Lance actually not reciprocate his feelings, and reacted that way to be funny instead of hurtful?

_Rippppppp!_

Keith cursed under his breath. The onslaught of questions made him distracted, allowing a bot to stab at his right side and tear his shirt.

Then he heard the simulation being turned off. “Keith, is something on your mind?”

Keith whipped around, startled at the sudden intrusion. Shiro was leaning against the door, eyebrow arched.

“We both know you only let your guard down when you’re bothered about something. So what’s up?”

Keith didn’t answer immediately, choosing instead to stand in his spot and stare at the floor. Though he wasn’t surprised Shiro caught on to his behavior, it got annoying at times. He was like a mother hen, always stressed about something and going crazy over the smallest things.

But Keith was grateful for Shiro. He was his brother, regardless of the fact that they weren’t blood related.

“Nothing, Shiro. What’s up with you?”

Keith didn’t have to look to know Shiro was giving him _the look_. It wasn’t one of disappointment or one of anger. It was a combination of Shiro giving him the dirty eye, raising his eyebrows, and pursing his lips at the attitude Keith was giving, all at once. _The look_ was usually followed by an interrogation and possible lecture. It reminded Keith of the face Lance usually made after he ate something weird from a new planet.

“Keith…”

“Shiro…”

“Fine, if you won’t tell me, I’ll just tell everyone about the time you…”

Keith strode over, placing his hand over Shiro’s mouth. “We won’t speak of that.”

Shiro _mmph_ ed under his hand, smirking at Keith.

“It’s about Lance.”

Shiro kept smirking, and gave Keith a knowing look. “Go on…”

Keith rolled his eyes, removing his hand from Shiro’s mouth and crossing his arms.

“I confessed.”

Immediately, Shiro’s disposition changed. His smirk became a full grin, his eyes lit up in excitement, and his whole body seemed to come alive with energy. Even his arm seemed to glow.

“Uh, is it supposed to do that?” Keith pointed out, slightly concerned but also trying to change the topic.

Shiro brushed it off, seemingly unconcerned about his Galra arm. “Never mind that. How did it go?”

“As well as expected,” Keith replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes once again. “He didn’t even realize I was confessing to him.”

Shiro looked confused, about to open his mouth to ask a question. Keith interrupted him before he could.

He recounted the events of the past hour, both cringing and blushing after telling Shiro about Lance’s response.

Shiro seemed to take the story in well, responding and nodding his head whenever it was appropriate.

A second of silence passed between the two and Keith thought that it was done with. However, Shiro seemed to have other plans.

“You have to tell him again,” he stated firmly, nodding his head like it was the best idea he’d ever come up with.”

“No shit, Sherlock. But what if he doesn’t realize again? Then it’ll just be embarrassing instead of funny.”

“Hey. Language,” Shiro chided.

Keith rolled his eyes yet again. If he kept this up his eyes would become fixed in that position.

The other man continued. “You’re better off telling him now than later. If you wait for too long then you might end up regretting it.”

“I know, Shiro, but the thing is, I’m not sure if he was just playing it off to avoid hurting my feelings or if he actually didn’t realize I was confessing to him. Knowing Lance, he probably faked it just to be nice. I bet he got confessed to a lot when we were at the Garrison, he’d know how to deal with it…” Keith trailed off at the last sentence.

“Maybe, but you shouldn’t let that get in your way, Keith. Doubting yourself now would do you more harm than good, especially since you already did it once before. You can do it again. Just try to be clearer.”

“Right, because ‘I love you, Lance,’ wasn’t clear enough the first time.”

“Who knows? You still have a chance, Keith,” Shiro placed on his hand on his shoulder. “And you should take that chance. Before you regret your decision later.”

Keith nodded in understanding, not wanting to disrespect the other. He wasn’t really sure how to respond to what Shiro said anyway.

They stood in silence, a mutual understanding between them.

Suddenly, Coran’s voice boomed around them. “Paladins! Allura and I just received a distress signal from an alien planet. Be ready to leave in five doboshes.”

The two parted ways with a small wave. After putting on his paladin armor, Keith raced out to the hangar. It never took him long to get ready. After the first night and Allura’s drills, he’d always tried to be and get ready as quickly as possible.

Allura came in with Shiro, carrying her bayard and ready to explain their plan of action. Before she could say anything, Lance burst in, last of the paladins to arrive.

Keith merely raised his eyebrow at Lance, not saying anything or portraying any emotion on his face.

Lance winked at him and shot him a crooked smile. Keith swore he almost stopped breathing.

“…Keith? Are you listening?” Allura asked, a little impatiently but with no malice in her voice.

He snapped his head over to where she was standing, cheeks tinged pink at being caught distracted. “Yes, sorry Princess.”

He heard snickering across the room, most likely from Lance. Keith fought the urge to roll his eyes again.

Allura’s eyes bounced between the two, amusement lining her pretty features. She cleared her throat, and continued explaining. “Right, so…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been two weeks LOL i'm so sorry  
> I had writer's block and was uninspired to write for the longest time but here it is !!! Chapter three  
> There's an outline I have for this fic that I'm planning to follow, but this chpater was really mellow. Please excuse the lack of creativity, both my sister and I were sleep-deprived in the writing and editing of this chapter. As always, thank you for reading and all the love!


	4. Chapter 4

“Lance, could you move, please? You’re in my way.”

“No can do, buddy. I’m supposed to stop you from making rash decisions here.”

“But it’s not even-“

“Nope. Nuh-uh. No way. You were not just about to say ‘It’s not even dangerous!’ weren’t you?”

Keith scowled. It wasn’t like it _was_ dangerous. Sure, there were a few galra sentries outside. Sure, one or two bloodthirsty generals were probably outside too. But that didn’t mean that he couldn’t handle it. Lance needed to move away from the door.

“As I was saying, Lance,” he glared, “It’s not even a big deal, so would you just quit it and let me make my own choices for once?”

Lance laughed, almost mockingly. Pointing accusingly at Keith, he started, “You’re really saying that _you-_ ”

Keith nodded.

The other moved his finger so that it was facing himself, “want _me-_ ”

Keith made a small noise of confirmation.

Lance crossed his arms, “to let you go out there on a suicide mission?”

He groaned in frustration. There was really no way to get past him, was there?

“No, Lance. It’s not a ‘suicide mission’ if I can handle them myself.”

“Yes it is, Keith! Are you serious? I know you spend all your time in the training room working out, but I still don’t think you can handle over fifty sentries and two generals all by yourself out there.”

“It’s fine, Lance.”

“No it isn’t.”

“Yes, it is.”

“No, it isn’t.”

Keith gritted his teeth. “For the last time, Lance, it’s fine. If you’re not going to help, then can you please just butt out and stay put? You might just make things worse if we keep fighting and I get distracted out there.”

The fire that was in Lance’s eyes dimmed a little, and Keith almost felt guilty about it.

It was suddenly silent between the two of them, the atmosphere a little awkward and apprehensive.

“..ith, Lance, can you hear me?”

“Allura! You’re there! I bet you just missed me too much.”

Immediately Keith’s guilt was washed away, covered instead by a feeling of disdain.

“The helmets are fixed.”

“No, Keith, the comms are still down,” Lance replied sarcastically. Keith wanted to punch the cocky grin right off his face, but it wasn’t the time or the place. They had to find their lions, given that they would actually make it out of their current situation alive.

Deciding to ignore Lance’s attitude, Keith averted his attention to Allura instead.

“Any luck on sending us back-up, Princess?”

“Sorry Keith,” her smooth voice replied. “We’re all still trying to fight the cruisers that are gathered outside right now. It looks like this base was more fortified than we originally thought. We are under heavy fire right now.”

Keith exhaled. Of course, things never went as smoothly as they were supposed to. That was the thrill of it all, he guessed.

“It’s fine. Lance and I will manage. If there is anything else we need, we’ll contact you.”

“Right. Good luck, Keith.”

After mumbling a brief goodbye, Keith turned to Lance, who had stayed silent during their whole conversation. Strange. That wasn’t like him.

Keith extended a hand to grasp Lance’s shoulder. “We have to get out of this together, Lance. I know I said otherwise earlier, but neither one of us can handle all of this alone.”

“Yeah, dumb Mullet. That’s what I was trying to tell you but you never let me finish talking.”

Keith grinned, a slight curve of his lips. “Mmhmm. Sure. Anyway, I’ll try to clear a small path. Let’s stay back-to-back, and you can do your thing while I do mine. Remember what we practiced before.”

He received a thumbs-up in confirmation and a wink. “You got it.”

If Keith blushed, he would deny it later.

“Okay, ready?”

Lance nodded.  
“One… two... three!”

Keith opened the door and they rushed out.

Immediately, sentries swarmed them. It was almost overwhelming, but Keith had to remember what Shiro told him.

_“Patience yields focus.”_

Even if he was stressed, he had to keep his head. Right.

“Keith, to your left!”

He quickly swerved and Lance shot the sentry straight in the middle of its chest.

“Good eye, Lance!”

Keith could’ve sworn Lance’s cheeks got the slightest bit pinker, but brushed it off in the heat of the moment. He could think about it later.

Behind him, Keith made out the sounds of guns firing, and Lance’s small cheers of victory when he seemed to hit a sentry. His own sword was slashing sentries left and right, creating a ringing sound of metal on metal.

It was all he could hear for what felt like hours, though it was probably only ten minutes at most. He and Lance were faring well. Neither of them had gotten seriously injured yet, and it didn’t seem like they were getting tired either.

He snuck a quick glance at Lance, and his breath caught in his chest.

Keith never paid attention to it before, but Lance in battle was something else. Even while holding a bulky gun, his movements were fluid and sure. He made rolling around look good. Breathing steadily, Lance quickly aimed and fired, ready in a heartbeat to shoot again.

“Getting distracted, are we?”

Keith cursed under his breath. He was unfocused for a second, but it was one too many. Suddenly, he was face-to-chest with a galra general. Why were these guys so tall anyway? It was like all they ate was protein powder or something. The general glanced over Keith’s head to Lance.

“He really is admirable. A good fighter, but I wonder: will he do so well without his precious red paladin?”

Keith spat at him. “Try me.”

The blatant show of disrespect seemed to anger the general, and he immediately lunged for Keith.

The smaller male dodged easily, stepping to the side and getting ready to fight again.

Another lunge, another side step. This pattern seemed to never end when Keith heard a wail behind him.

Lance!

He spared a glance and saw that Lance had shot the other general in his chest.

“Wrong move, earthling.”

“Keith!”

This time, the scream really did come from Lance.

“Duck, you idiot!”

He crouched down in a millisecond, not wanting to push his luck today. Another day, he might have even told Lance to leave it to him.

He felt wind above his head and heard a thump. When he stood up straight again, the general was lying on the ground, face down.

Damn. “Nice shot, sharpshooter!”

He definitely turned a shade of pink this time.

“Keep it going! We’re almost there!” Lance called out.

They made eye contact, exchanging silent words.

_Are you sure we’re almost there?_

_How am I supposed to know? You’re the one who remembers stuff like this!_

Keith shot Lance an unimpressed face, and the other stuck his tongue out in response. This was fine.

“Lance, Keith, we can send that backup now if you still require it,” Allura’s voice ran through the helmets.

“We’re all good, Princess. Though I personally wouldn’t mind if you came.”

“Focus, Lance,” Keith chided, not maliciously but not exactly compassionately either.

“Okay, okay, Keith. No need to give me the dirty eye. We’ll see you later, Princess.”

Keith didn’t even realize he was glaring until Lance pointed it out.

“Of course. Good luck, paladins,” Allura responded.

They were almost where their lions were left, and resistance from the sentries was futile. Keith led the pair on a mutual understanding that his sense of direction was probably more reliable than Lance’s.

“You know, this would be easier if we just asked Pidge for a map of the place,” Lance commented.

Keith grunted in agreement. He didn’t think of that. “Yeah, but we wouldn’t want to distract her from the cruisers outside.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

The two continued in silence, eyes alert and looking for any signs of life. It seemed like the rest of the base was empty.

Another comment came from Lance. “That’s weird. Usually these places have more security.”

Keith couldn’t help but take his point into consideration. He was right. The sentries and generals from earlier seemed too easy to get past.

He heard a noise from behind him, and it wasn’t Lance.

“Watch your back!” he warned, and turned to quickly slash whatever it was that was behind Lance. He was a second too late.

Lance collapsed, a laser having hit his arm. A lone soldier stood a few feet away from him. The galra’s gun was still smoking, and he glared at them menacingly.

“Lance!”

The other looked up at him, a painful smirk on his face. Clutching his arm, Lance remarked, “What are you calling my name for? I’m fine.”

Keith hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether to help Lance or go for the general instead. He didn’t have to make the choice.

Lance grabbed his bayard and shot a few lazy shots at the soldier. The majority missed, but one ended up nagging his leg, another hitting his arm.

The soldier let out a curse, crumpling to the floor.

Keith took a step, about to stride over to the fallen galra. Lance grabbed his leg before he could. It nearly made him trip.

“Don’t,” he gasped, voice low. “He’ll bleed out before he can do any real damage. Let’s go find Red and Black.”

Keith wasn’t satisfied yet, but one look at Lance’s shoulder said enough. He needed medical attention, and quickly. The blood that did show didn’t look serious, but that didn’t mean Lance’s injury wasn’t serious.

“Right. I’ll help you walk. Can you lean on my shoulder?”

Lance scoffed, confusing Keith. “It’s my arm that’s hurt, Keith. Not my leg. I can walk fine on my own.”

Keith sighed. Of course he was still trying to save face, even while he was injured.

“Whatever. Stay close. We need to be ready in case there are more soldiers.”

Lance grunted in acknowledgement. They started walking again, Keith still leading the duo.

A few minutes passed, and Lance’s breathing seemed to grow heavier and heavier. It worried Keith.

He snuck a peek over his shoulder.

Lance’s face was scrunched up, his hand squeezing his arm so tightly it looked painful.

Keith cursed. He had to check on the other’s shoulder before they went any further.

“Lance. Stop.”

“What’s wrong, Mullet? Getting tired?”

“No, dumbass, your shoulder. Let me look at it for you.”

“Oh, this old thing? I’m fine. Let’s keep going.”

“Lance, just stop. It’s not fine and we both know it, so shut up and let me help you.”

Lance made no attempt at a snide remark after that. Keith motioned for him to sit down, and he knelt beside Lance.

Keith hesitantly took off Lance’s armor where he’d been hit. The wound seemed to have cauterized itself. Good. That decreased the risk of infection. But not good, because Lance would probably pass out from pain if they didn’t get back soon.

Keith ripped a strip of fabric off Lance’s suit and tied it around his wound, just to be safe. He hoped that was the correct way to treat it. He only did what he read in books and saw in movies back on Earth.

Lance yelped in surprise.

“How the heck did you rip that off my suit? The fabric on these things seems impossible to rip with your bare hands.”

Keith shrugged. It didn’t really matter, as long as it served its purpose. “Does your arm feel any better?”

“I guess. It doesn’t feel like I’m still bleeding, so it probably stopped for now.”

“Okay, good. Then let’s keep going.”

“Yeah.”

Although Lance’s breathing was still heavy, his walking was slightly normal again. Keith secretly let out a breath of relief.

“What?” Lance questioned.

“Nothing.”

 

More time passed, and they still hadn’t found their lions yet. The hallway suddenly stopped, splitting into two directions.

“It feels like we’re walking in circles. Everything looks the same. Why is it all purple?” Lance complained.

Keith had to admit, it seemed like they already passed this same path two minutes ago. “I don’t know, Lance. Can you just keep walking? I’ll figure it out.”

“Mmhmm. Sure. You know, if we just let me lead at first we might not be lost right now.”

“It was a mutual compromise! We both agreed that I had the better sense of direction, okay?”

“I don’t remember agreeing to that.”

Keith groaned in frustration. He tried to call for Black in his mind. Maybe she could send him some type of signal to indicate her position.

Lance pointed to the right. “I felt Red that way.”

“Okay. But I felt Black to the left.”

They couldn’t split up. That was a bad idea, and Lance seemed to agree with Keith.

“Let’s just go find Red first,” Keith conceded, heading to the right.

“Wait, but what about Black? She’s going to be all alone.”

“I know, but you need to get back first. Your arm needs to get treated,” Keith said in a matter-of-factly tone.

“Okay,” Lance agreed, almost reluctantly. They headed to the right.

Less than five minutes later, they found Red. She seemed to be in the same condition as Lance left her.

Speaking of Lance, Keith turned around to check on him a last time. He was met with an empty space.

“Lance, this isn’t funny. You’re seriously hurt. You need to get back, now,” Keith scolded to nothing.

He heard a groan. “Down here…”

Keith glanced down to his feet. He was met with Lance laying on the floor, hand barely extended and face planted firmly on the ground. Keith had to stifle a laugh.

“How exactly did you get down there?”

Lance moved to sit. “I fell.”

“On what? And how did you not make any sound?”

Lance shrugged his shoulders, and then replied hesitantly, “… Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

“Logically, that doesn’t make sense. But you’re Lance, so I’m not surprised,” Keith smirked.

Lance pouted. “Hey! No need to be rude.”

Keith couldn’t take that pout seriously. As much as he was concerned that Lance fell, he was also extremely distracted by the small frown the other wore. He looked so cute?? How was that even possible???

“Uh… Keith… buddy? Is there something on my face?”

Keith blinked. Was he staring?

“You were staring at me.”

There was his answer.

“Uh, no. Sorry, Lance. I was… distracted.”

Lance’s pout turned into a cocky grin. “It’s okay, no need to hide it. If I were you I’d get distracted from my beauty too.”

Keith fought yet another eye roll. The moment was gone.

“You should get up. Red is right there and you can get back first. I’ll find Black on my own.”

“No way. We’re in this together.”

“Lance, we can’t both get back to the castle right now. Black is somewhere else on this base. We have to separate. I am _not_ leaving her here alone.”

Keith couldn’t understand why Lance was being so insistent about them leaving together. He was the one injured, so he was the one who should go back first. It wasn’t complicated.

He saw the reluctance in Lance’s body as he gave in. “I guess you’re right.”

Keith felt a tiny sense of accomplishment at having won this argument. “You know I am. So get in Red and get back. I’ll be right behind you.”

Lance didn’t reply, just got off his butt and walked toward Red.

Keith watched as Lance sauntered off, probably to mock him. He wasn’t sure if it was his eyes, but it seemed like Lance was swaying as he walked. Was that on purpose?

Keith shook off the thought. Of course he was overanalyzing everything. Lance was just swaying his hips to spite Keith. He stuck out his tongue at the other’s back.

As if Lance had eyes at the back of his eyes, he replied with a particularly vulgar gesture.

Before stepping into Red, Lance looked over at Keith, who hadn’t moved an inch yet.

“Stay safe, Mullet.”

Keith mustered half-smile. “You too, Lance.”

He watched as Red safely left the base, and rolled back his shoulders. Now, time to find Black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> s7 ruined me and I needed time to cope LOL  
> sorry for the late chapter!! I swear I'll post on time next week hehe


	5. Chapter 5

The base was eerily quiet. Keith could hear his own slow breathing, keeping his eyes and ears open for anything unusual. It felt a lot less empty when Lance was with him.

Nope. Now was not the time for mushy thoughts.

Finding his lion was easy. Keith already knew the general direction Black was in from his wandering with Lance, and the only hallway he sensed Black from led straight ahead.

Keith climbed into Black cautiously, almost willing a galra to suddenly come out of the shadows and attack him. Nothing happened.

He was just in the middle of getting comfortable in his seat when Allura suddenly radioed in on the comms.

“Keith,” she commanded, a no-nonsense tone in her voice.

“Yes, Allura. What’s up?”

“Is Lance with you?”

Keith felt an uneasy feeling rising up from his gut. “No, he just left a few minutes ago in Red. Is something wrong?”

He was met with silence on the other end.

“Allura?”

“He hasn’t tried to make any contact with us since we last spoke. We assumed he was with you, but the Red lion has gone silent.”

Now the uneasy feeling was slowly taking over his whole body. “What?”

“Coran told me he saw the Red lion’s activity a few minutes ago, but suddenly it just stopped. This led us to believe you two were resting somewhere before regrouping, but we ultimately decided that wasn’t in character. Are you sure you don’t know where he is, Keith?”

“No, I don’t.”

What the hell had happened to Lance in the ten minutes they were apart?

Allura seemed to hear the veiled panic in his voice, because she responded with assurance, “I’m sure he’s fine, Keith. We’ll just keep looking for him. Coran is working with Pidge and Hunk right now to track his location.”

Keith powered up his lion. “Got it, Princess. I’ll look for him on this planet in case he decided to land to rest. Let me know if you find anything.”

“As to you.”

Keith had to take a minute to breathe. A lot of different emotions were taking over his body, the main one being dread. Absolute dread. Was Lance okay? He seemed fine when Keith left him. Yeah, he was walking a little unsteadily but that shouldn’t have been a problem…

Keith let out a curse. Of course Lance was swaying. He brushed off his injury like it was nothing, and he didn’t show any signs of fatigue while they were walking, but Keith hadn’t bothered to look closely. Lance’s swaying was probably because of his pain, not him trying to annoy Keith. Fuck.

“Lance, you fucking idiot. Fuck. What the fuck.”

Keith groaned in his seat. How could he not have noticed? He should’ve known Lance would’ve tried to hide it. Whether it was to be macho or because he didn’t want to burden Keith, it probably bothered him without Keith realizing. Did Lance fall because he got dizzy too? There was no way he’d trip over nothing. Clumsy as he was, Lance was always extra careful on missions. Add on the injury and Lance should’ve been even more alert.

“Quiz. Nak. Quiznak. Quiznakquiznakquiznak.”

He sat fuming in his seat, silently blaming himself. He should’ve noticed. He was an idiot. Lance was an idiot too. They were both idiots. Why were they allowed to be a team again?

“Keith.”

Allura’s voice rang through his helmet. Keith pulled himself out of the pit he was slowly falling into.

“Yes, Allura? Did you find him?”

“No. We think you’ll have better luck; you’re on the planet. Please go look for Lance. Shiro wants to send out a search party but I told him that’s not necessary; the people here need us. Many are still hurt from the fight we had with the galra.”

“Yes, of course Allura. Leave it to me.”

“Perfect. Good luck, Keith.”

Keith took a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time to lose his head. He’d scold Lance later, but he needed to find him first. He placed his hands on the control.

Speaking to Black, Keith declared, “Let’s go find Lance.”

 

If Keith thought finding Lance would be easy, he was wrong. Oh so wrong. He circled the planet five times, eyes scanning the surface for any hint of red. It was barren, all desert and sand. Keith felt a wave of nostalgia hitting.

Black seemed to purr at the back of his mind, trying to relax him. They’d find Lance and Red soon. They had to.

“…K-…”

Keith wasn’t sure if he was going crazy or not. Was that Lance just now, or was he hearing things?

“…-an anyone hear m-…”

Keith definitely heard it this time. He flew closer to ground. The transmission was filled with static, but he could hear Lance clearly.

“Lance! Can you hear me? Is that you? Are you hurt?”

There was no response to his questions. Keith hit Black’s dashboard, letting out another curse. He felt her disdain at the back of his head, and apologized immediately.

“…-eith! It’s Lan-… -y comms-… -I nee-… Plea-… I think-…”

“Lance? I can’t understand you? What was that?”

Lance’s breathing sounded ragged. It wasn’t ideal, but at least the comms were working well enough that Keith could hear him breathing.

“Keith,” Lance said coughing. “I thought… you left. You should… leave. It’s… not… safe here.”

Keith felt anger rising. “No, Lance! I’m not leaving you.”

“Damn. You’re… stubborn. I’m stuck… Red… she’s down. My helmet… is almost broken… I was flying Red and-…”

“Lance? Lance! Stay with me! Where are you right now?

“…-passed out. I guess my arm… was worse than we thought.” Lance let out a forced laugh. “Then we were… ambushed. Red could… barely hold them off… and I woke up again… so I fought… but Red took too much… she won’t turn on…”

Keith felt a physical pang in his chest. Lance’s breathing was still ragged, he hadn’t stopped coughing, and his voice seemed to be fading with each word.

“Lance. Tell me later. Can you just describe where you are?”

“Can’t… If I do they’ll ambush-”

“Lance, I do not care right now. Where are you?”

It was silent on the other end.

“Damn it, Lance. Just tell me. Please,” Keith’s voice cracked.

The silence lasted for a few more seconds. “I’m somewhere… south of the base… Was trying to fly out and then they… attacked. I can’t see anything but black…”

“Got it. I’m flying to you now.”

“Keith.”

“What?”

“Be careful.”

Keith let out a sigh. Lance was really telling _him_ to be careful. The irony was painful.

He contacted Allura.

“Did you find him?”

“No, but I have an idea of where he might be. Can you send backup? He said something about an ambush and I’d rather be safe than sorry right now.”

He heard her having a conversation with someone in the background.

“We’re a little busy right now, but Hunk said he’ll come right away. I’m sorry, Keith. He’s the only one who can help right now.”

Keith drew his eyebrows together in frustration. Lance was in trouble, and all Allura cared about were the alien people? Yes, they were important, but Lance was a paladin of Voltron and their teammate. They could spare one more person.

He bit his tongue back, not wanting to offend her.

“That’s fine, Princess. I’ll send him my coordinates now.”

Keith turned off his comm. He was sure Hunk didn’t need it, but sent his coordinates to the yellow lion anyway.

Hunk appeared on his screen less than a minute later.

“Hi Keith. Have you found his location?”

“No. But he said something about being south of the base and it being dark. Did you see anything that might sound like that?”

Hunk took a few seconds to think. Keith waited, impatiently but silently.

“Could it be? No way, that place was deserted…” Hunk mumbled.

“What is it, Hunk? Anything would be helpful right now.”

“There was a mountain I saw when I was circling the planet for any last aliens. It was south of the base, but it couldn’t be that because Lance said he was somewhere dark.”

“It’s worth a try. I’ll meet you there.”

“Don’t you need the coordinates though?”

“No. I’ll just fly south of where I am and look for a mountain.”

Hunk gave him a look through the screen. “Fine, whatever you say. But remember to be careful. Don’t overlook anything.”

“I will, Hunk.”

 

Hunk joined him not long after Keith started flying.

They had flown for five minutes and there were still no signs of Lance or a mountain. Did they miss something?

“Was he wrong, maybe? Even though Lance is smart, he might’ve gotten his directions mixed up. Maybe you heard wrong?”

“I didn’t,” Keith answered rigidly. “He said south. We might be looking at his all wrong though.”

He tried recalling his conversation with Lance. Somewhere dark, south of the base… Keith had a light bulb moment. “Hunk!”

“Shoot! Keith, you scared me. Don’t just yell like that, man.”

“Sorry,” he apologized off-handedly, “Do you think he might be buried under something? You said there was a mountain, right? But we haven’t seen any sign of a mountain. If he crashed, then he would be under all the debris. That would make it dark.”

Hunk made a noise of acknowledgement. “You’re right… I think I saw a pile of rocks a few miles back. He might be under there.”

“That’s where he is. Can you lead us back, Hunk?”

Keith could hear the smile in Hunk’s voice. “Sure, Keith.”

 

A few minutes later, they’d circled back to the mound Hunk was talking about. Sure enough, Keith sensed Red in the area. He was positive that Red and Lance were there.

“He’s definitely here. Let’s try to move the rocks.”

“Right.”

Keith and Hunk had been working for about three seconds when he sensed something was wrong. Looking back, Keith spotted a galra cruiser. Shit. Keith called Hunk. The other’s face popped on his screen almost immediately.

“Hunk,” he started.

“I see it,” Hunk said. “You keep digging and I’ll distract it.”

“Shouldn’t you dig? Your lion is more sturdy than mine.”

Hunk seemed to give him a look, but Keith couldn’t interpret what he meant.

“It’s fine, Keith. You just dig and I’ll distract, okay? Find Lance,” Hunk ended the call.

Keith tried to make move the rocks even faster now. They had an impossibly small amount of time to find Lance now.

He heard grunts through his comm and lasers firing behind him. Hunk seemed to be barely holding up. The number of cruisers must have increased.

Fuck. Lance had warned him about the ambush.

Then Black’s paw landed on something metal, and Keith could feel a hint of Red roaring at the back of his mind. Keith turned on his comm.

“Hunk, I found them. Just hold on a little longer.”

Hunk grunted, and Keith took it as an okay. He moved a few more rocks and then saw Red’s hind leg. Underneath it was a space.

“Hunk, I’m getting out. I think I can get to Lance faster on my feet than by lifting all these rocks off Red. There are cracks in the spaces from the rocks.”

“Got it. But hurry! I don’t think I can hold them off for much longer. I’m going to call Pidge for help.”

Keith gave his okay and leapt out of Black. Sprinting to the opening that he found Red through, Keith made his way around the rocks. The ground kept shaking, unstable as an aftereffect of the battle happening above them.

He arrived at Red’s mouth after a few minutes of unstable climbing. He patted her snout, and she mustered enough energy to open her mouth, a tiny slit Keith barely fit through. He found it difficult to climb through her interior since she was lying on her side.

He made it to the pilot’s seat in a few minutes, and sucked in a breath at the sight of Lance.

Slumped to the side, Lance’s body was motionless. His breath came in and out slowly, and he didn’t move save for the occasional twitch of his eyebrows. Keith couldn’t see the arm that was injured before, but the other one didn’t look any better. Lance must’ve been knocked around a few times during the crash, because he was sporting some new scratches, the bottom half of his paladin armor seemingly ruined. His face was contorted in pain, eyebrows drawn together and jaw clenched.

“Holy shit, Lance,” Keith breathed out, trying his best to get to Lance despite the sideways angle.

Lance’s eyes fluttered open. “Keith…?”

His voice was so raspy it hurt Keith to hear it.

“Yeah, it’s me. Are you okay, Lance?”

The other chuckled. Really, Keith could never fathom the audacity Lance had.

“Just peachy, Mullet. My arm hurts a lot though. I’ve been leaning on it this whole time.”

Lance coughed violently, the movement shaking his whole body.

“Hey, Lance, it’s okay. Let’s just try to get you out of here first. Don’t say anything, okay? Just nod. Save your energy.”

Lance nodded, too tired to argue with Keith.

Keith moved toward Lance with urgency, assessing the situation. Everything about this was bad. If he moved Lance, he might irritate the arm. If he didn’t move Lance, they would be stuck. If he moved Lance incorrectly, he might cause more pain than Lance was already in. It looked like Lance’s ankle was twisted too, so that was another thing he had to keep in mind.

Lance’s eyes drooped closed, and his breathing became even slower than before.

“Nope. Scratch that. Keep talking. Focus on me, Lance. Talk to me. Tell me anything. Maybe you can tell me what happened? That would be a good place to start.”

“Sorry Mullet,” Lance breathed in sharply. “Don’t think I can.”

Keith wanted to cry. He had to stay calm.

“Yes, you can. You can, Lance. What happened after you flew out? How did they get to you?”

“I got out. They ambushed me. Simple.”

“No, Lance, it’s not that simple. Does your arm still hurt a lot?”

Lance looked at Keith flatly. “Yes, it hurts like a bitch, but so does the rest of me. Did you even have to ask?”

At any other time, Keith would’ve gotten annoyed, but now he was only grateful Lance still had it in him to give Keith sass.

“You’re right, sorry. Hey, can you try to get off the seat? Just try to push yourself off a little.”

Lance nodded in affirmation, trying to move. He gasped. “Nope. Too painful.”

“I’ll have to carry you out then.”

“I can’t- I can’t leave Red. Not here.”

“You don’t have a choice. Hunk is barely holding off the cruisers outside, and you need to get to a healing pod.”

“Hunk is outside?”

Keith nodded. Lance was silent for a moment.

“Can you even carry me? Your noodle arms look like they’d get sore from carrying Pidge.”

Keith fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Says the one who complains the most on arm day.”

“Why you-“

Keith took the moment to hook his arms under Lance’s knees and behind his back. He slowly tried lifting the other out of the pilot’s chair.

“Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. That hurts like a fucking bitch Keith what the _fuck_.”

Keith winced at Lance’s curses, ceasing his lifting. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Lance looked at him for a moment, and then averted his eyes. “It’s- it’s fine. Just… it’s fine.”

He tried lifting himself off the seat, moving his arm to push himself. It proved to be too much, because he yelped in pain the moment he pushed. Keith felt the overwhelming urge to panic.

“Lance! Shit, it’s okay. I’ve got you. Just trust me, okay?”

Lance made a noise of confirmation, but didn’t stop pushing on the armrest. A boom came from outside, and his arm gave way before Lance could do anything about it. He collapsed into the seat, crushing Keith’s arm in the process.

“Your hand… is really warm…” Lance remarked insignificantly. “I’m so cold…”

Not so insignificant. That wasn’t good at all.

“Stay with me, Lance. Just a few seconds more and we’ll be out of here.”

Keith fumbled with Lance’s limp body for a few minutes, groans and grunts making their way out of the other’s mouth the entire time. He finally got Lance out of the seat a few minutes later, almost collapsing under the sudden 150 pounds of boy he had to carry now. He heard lions roaring above his head.

“Keith!” Hunk commed in. Keith almost forgot about him. It seemed like the fight outside had stopped.

“Hunk, I’ve got him,” Keith confirmed.

“Hunk…?” Lance gasped in his arms.

Keith continued talking. “We’re making our way out now. Tell Coran to prepare a healing pod, fast.”

“You got it. Pidge and Allura are here now. We just beat the last of the cruisers, and we’re moving the rest of the rocks now. Tell Lance not to worry about Red. We’ll bring her back.”

“Tell Hunk I’ll miss his cooking… and that he was the greatest best friend…” Lance said raggedly.

Keith stopped for a moment. Hunk did too.

“Lance…” Keith trailed off.

“I love you Lance. Hold on buddy,” Hunk said through Keith’s comms.

Lance hummed in response, and Hunk tuned out afterward.

“Stay with me, Lance. We’re almost out.”

Keith could see the light above him, rushing as quickly as he could to reach it. He glanced down at Lance. He was drifting in and out of consciousness.

Keith cursed.

Lance seemed to hear him, and a small smile appeared on his lips. “You’re funny, Keith…”

“Don’t say weird stuff, idiot,” Keith huffed. Lance just chuckled, coughing afterward.

It was all the more reason for Keith to go even faster.

“Bumpy ride, huh…?”

“Just shut up and stay with me, Lance.”

“Mkay…” he blinked, eyes closing and nestling into Keith’s chest.

Keith was sure Lance could hear his heart pounding, but he’d say it was from the exercise if the other asked.

Minutes passed by like hours, and maneuvering through the rocks was much more difficult and grueling with Lance in his arms.   
“Sorry Lance. Do you think you can ride on my back instead? I need to use my hands.”

Lance mmphed in response, and Keith laid him down for a moment. He crouched down, hooking his arms a little under Lance’s thighs. Lance clasped his arms around Keith’s neck, and they were off again.

Every few seconds, Lance would let out sharp gasps of pain or little groans.

Keith wanted to make it stop. He didn’t want Lance in as much pain as he was, didn’t want to cause Lance pain by jostling the boy around when he was clearly severely injured. He tried as best as he could to avoid touching the place Lance’s arm was hurt.

Keith was getting winded, and quickly at that. If this kept up, he’d need a break before they were even close to getting outside.

“Keith,” Lance commanded, more than asked.

“Mm?”

“If you’re getting tired, you can put me down. I can walk.”

“No, you can’t Lance. Your ankle is twisted. You could barely lift yourself off of your seat earlier. If I put you down right now I get the feeling you’d just collapse, and then you’ll have a head injury on top of everything else.”

Lance was quiet after that.

“Well sorry for trying to help. I just didn’t want to be useless again,” he mumbled under his breath.

Keith heard every word clearly. Since Lance had laid his head on the other’s shoulder, it was easy to hear anything the blue paladin was saying.

“You’re not useless,” Keith remarked. His grip under Lance’s thighs tightened. “Don’t say stuff like that.”

The chuckle that came out of Lance’s mouth was harrowing. His voice was gravelly as he replied, “Only you would say that, Keith. I couldn’t even help you earlier when we were stuck at the base.”

“What are you talking about?” Keith asked, in the softest voice he could manage.

“…It’s nothing.”

“Lance…”

Then a light washed over them, and Keith could feel the sun again. He paused his struggling.

“Lance! Keith! You’re okay!” Hunk yelled through the comms.

When Keith looked up, he could see the yellow lion lifting a boulder up. He waved to the three paladins who came to the rescue.

Pidge and Allura joined Hunk and Keith in their conversation, saying their hellos and asking about Lance. Keith shook his shoulder, trying to get Lance to join the conversation.

Lance’s head merely wobbled on his shoulder. His body had gone limp, but Keith didn’t realize it over all of their voices.

“Hey Keith, is Lance okay? He looks bad,” Hunk remarked.

Keith cursed.

“What was that for? Lance is okay, right?” Pidge asked warily.

“Keith, has something happened to Lance?” Allura asked.

Keith found himself rushing to climb again. He could hear the panic in his voice as he explained, “I think he passed out, but I can’t tell. He’s not in good condition right now. Can one of you guys come help me get out of this hole?”

Hunk was the first to react. He controlled Yellow, making her crouch down. When she opened her mouth, Keith stepped in hurriedly.

When he saw the condition Lance was in, Hunk flinched and looked away. Keith didn’t understand, but when he placed Lance down in the hangar he realized.

In the cool darkness of the rocks, Keith hadn’t seen the full extent of Lance’s injuries. In the sunlight, they were all he could see.

Lance’s shoulder looked as if it got dislocated. His wound, which had been temporarily treated, was bleeding again. He had cut his forehead, his ankle was twisted, and he was covered in bruises. Keith took in a sharp breath.

“Hunk…”

“I’m flying to the castle as fast as I can, but first you need to get out, Keith. Black is still waiting for you where you left her.”

“No. I’m not leaving Lance.”

Hunk’s eyes seemed to soften.

“Keith, he wouldn’t want you to abandon Black for him. Go get her. I promise I’ll take care of him.”

Keith knew Hunk was being sensible. What he said made sense. But in his state of terror for Lance’s life, Keith found it hard to listen.

Hunk gave him a look, and Keith turned away quickly, brooding. He kept telling himself that Hunk was right, that what he said was completely reasonable. It didn’t make walking away any easier.

“Take care of him, Hunk.”

Hunk responded with a twitch of the lips. “I know, Keith.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! We were in Hawaii LOL but maybe two chapters today?? We'll see we'll see ;)


	6. Chapter 6

The events that happened after he left Lance were all a blur to Keith. He could distinctly make out Pidge and Allura asking him questions through the comms, but couldn’t find himself to muster any actual response.

“He’s with Hunk. They’re heading to the castle. I don’t know what happened. We need to get Red out of here. Can you guys help me lift her?”

Pidge and Allura seemed to sense his frazzled state-of-mind, and they ceased asking questions. Latching on to opposite ends of the red lion, the two of them flew quietly to the castle.

Keith was left sitting alone in Black. He didn’t have to help with anything. Red was being supported by Pidge and Allura. Lance was with Hunk. He didn’t have anything to worry about.

But Keith was worried. He was worried out of his mind, wanted to scream in frustration at how helpless he felt.

How could he let this happen? He should’ve been right there with Lance. They shouldn’t have split up in the first place. He knew Lance was capable of taking care of himself. So how the hell had he let this happen?

Keith huffed in frustration, trying to talk himself out of his mood. It wasn’t Lance’s fault. He couldn’t have known. But Keith should’ve known better. He should’ve been right there with Lance. He shouldn’t have let Lance go by himself. He should’ve known better.

Over and over, the thoughts swirled in his head. Repeating again and again.

_Your fault. Your fault. It was all your fault._

Keith cursed in frustration, putting his head in his hands.

He suddenly heard Shiro, a stable voice through the cacophony in his head. He lifted his head up.

“Keith. Keith. Keith, can you hear me?”

“Yeah. I’m here.”

“…Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Okay.”

“Yeah.”

Keith’s voice was strained, and he was glad Shiro didn’t push the issue. He took a deep breath, blinking back the tears he was unaware had formed.

“Lance is in a pod now. It looks bad, Keith. He’s not going to die, but Coran said he might be in there for a while. You should come back. Everyone is waiting for you.”

Keith sucked in a breath. He just needed a minute. Just one minute by himself.

“I’ll be back in a little bit. Don’t wait for me.”

“ _Keith_ ,” Shiro said. His tone was one Keith knew well. It was the tone he used when he knew Keith was going to do something stupid, but Keith didn’t care in that moment. He just wanted to get away.

“I’ll be back, Shiro. I promise.”

Keith could hear Shiro sighing through the comms. “Fine. Don’t stay out too long. Lance will probably want to see you when he wakes up.”

Keith hung up then. Lance wouldn’t want to see him. He was the reason Lance was hurt in the first place. What was the point of even trying to talk to Lance? If he blamed himself, there was no doubt that Lance blamed him too.

Keith gripped Black’s controls. He could sense her disapproval in the back of his mind.

“It’s fine, Black. We won’t be out long.”

 

Keith flew aimlessly for a few hours. He couldn’t find it in himself to go back to the castle, no matter what he told Shiro. It was fine, they could manage without him.

After all of his flying he had a lot of time to think. He knew it wasn’t his fault. Logically, he couldn’t have anticipated the ambush on Lance. He couldn’t have been with Lance if he wanted to, either. But it was still hard to not blame himself. Keith let out a long exhale, one of many.

“Keith, it’s been hours. You need to come back, now,” Allura commed in.

He flinched, startled because of the sudden noise.

“Princess, you guys don’t need me. Just take care of Lance.”

It was silent on the other end. Keith hoped she’d hang up.

“Keith,” she sighed. “You might feel like you’re at fault right now. But you need to know, Lance wouldn’t blame you. So you need to stop punishing yourself for something you couldn’t control.”

Keith knew she was right. He’d been trying to tell himself the same thing for hours, but that damn voice in the back of his head wouldn’t shut up.

“I know,” he replied quietly.

“Then come back. You want to be here when Lance wakes up, do you not?”

“…Yeah. I’ll see you in a bit, Allura.”

She turned off her comm, and Keith was by himself again. He leaned back into the pilot’s seat for a second, and then sat up straight.

“Let’s head back, Black.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends this chapter is really short but chapter seven is coming out soon!! Hopefully !!! Our first day of school was Wednesday and we're pooped HAHA please pray for us tysm 
> 
> Also when season eight I filmed a bunch of small reactions for like the first two episodes. Should I compile them and create one big video? Would you guys even watch that lol? Lmk


	7. Chapter 7

When Keith returned, he was surprised to find everyone waiting for him in the lions’ hangar. Well, everyone except for the person he wanted to see the most.

“Keith, you’re back!” Hunk strode over to him, enveloping Keith in one of his signature hugs.

“We were getting worried,” Pidge remarked, looking at him with concern in her eyes, “Are you okay?”

Keith didn’t have time to answer before Coran interrupted.

“Keith, my boy! It’s a good thing you found Lance when you did, because if you didn’t, he might’ve been a goner by now. You’re a hero!”

The world suddenly stopped. Keith could feel his mind getting foggy, anger clouding his senses.

Coran, calling him a hero? Even though Lance could’ve died? Because of _him?_

Keith willed himself to stay still, clenching his fists at his sides. He glanced over at Shiro, who gave him a steady look. The older man motioned to take deep breaths, and Keith tried following him. He hadn’t realized that Hunk had let go until he was calm again, and everyone else was giving him worried looks.

“Sorry, Keith. That was insensitive,” Coran looked at him sheepishly, “But Lance is going to be fine in just a dobosh! He’ll be out of the pod before we know it.”

“It’s okay, Coran. You didn’t mean anything by it.”

Coran flashed a smile, seemingly satisfied with Keith’s answer. “Do you want to see him now?”

“...Not really,” he responded, crossing his arms. Of course he wanted to see Lance, so why had he said no? Was it embarrassment?

“Come on, Keith, we know you’re dying to. We’re going to see Lance right now,” Pidge declared with a smirk, marching up to Keith and grabbing his arm. She promptly marched him out of the room, practically dragging him over to the pods. The rest of the group trailed behind, Hunk recounting what happened in the few hours Keith was gone.

Keith was in front of the pod before he realized they’d even stepped into the room. He drew a sharp breath at the sight of Lance.

The boy looked better than when Keith had last seen him. The bruises that were previously on his body were in the process of fading. His shoulder had been popped back into place, and his cuts had faded into scars, more or less. There was a slight bandage wrapped around it, but it was lose. Lance’s arm was what caught Keith’s attention, though. It wasn’t bleeding anymore, but there was still a tight bandage wrapped around it. Following his arm, Keith’s eyes moved down Lance’s body, stopping at his midsection.

“Why is his stomach wrapped, Coran? Did something happen?”

The Altean didn’t respond for a moment, and it was dead silent in the room. Keith could feel his anxiety building up, which was completely unwarranted because no one had even told him anything yet. Right?

“Guys?”

Allura cleared her throat. “Right. Well, the injuries Lance sustained seemed to be greater than we thought. Though it wasn’t obvious at first glance, he was injured around his abdomen, and he suffered some internal bleeding…” she trailed off.

“Is there something else? I get the feeling you’re not telling me everything, Allura.”

“No, that’s it. If there was anything else you’d know.”

Keith noticed her glance at Coran after answering his question, the Alteans having a silent exchange with one another. He crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently. His forehead creased as he frowned, knowing that there was something she wasn’t telling him now.

She eyed him quickly, registering the sounds his foot was making.

“Sorry, Keith. I really wasn’t holding anything back. It’s just that Lance sustained injuries much more serious than we’d originally thought. He may be there for a few days. Because Red is also somewhat damaged, their connection is weak at the moment, meaning that Lance’s state of mind is as well. While that wouldn’t affect his healing under normal circumstances, both the severity of his physical injuries as well as the uneasy state of his mind will cause him to stay longer in the pod.”

Keith nodded in understanding. “Is there an approximate time period he’ll be in there?”

“According to Coran, about a day or two,” Pidge piped up. Coran sent him a thumbs-up in confirmation.

Keith looked over to Lance. He looked so peaceful in the pod. So… unlike Lance.

The person inside seemed serious. Seemed like he had his life in order, seemed like the perfect man, but Keith just saw an empty shell.

Lance, with his terrible pick-up lines and secret innuendos, was anything but. He was animated; he was full of life. He had emotions that were like a rollercoaster. He refused to acknowledge the bonding moment, even though one time he let it slip that he might have remembered after all. He still called himself “The Tailor” every once in a while. He  talked about Cuba and garlic knots, and convinced the whole team to have a spa day one time. Lance was Keith’s right-hand man. His stability. His space-ranger partner. He was Lance.

“Uh, Keith, buddy, you okay there? You’ve been staring at Lance for a while now.”

Keith snapped out of his trance, back to reality after hearing Hunk’s voice.

“Yeah, I’m fine, Hunk. Thanks.”

Hunk gave him a calculating look, but smiled afterward anyway.

“Okay, Keith. Whatever you say. Just… remember you can talk to me if you need to, okay?”

“Mmhmm.”

“He’s right, you know. You can talk to all of us,” Pidge added on. Keith saw the rest of the paladins nodding their heads and agreeing.

“Thanks guys.”

“Well, it’s been a long day and I feel like a warvelshmurf who skipped hibernation. I’m going to rest first,” Coran announced, the first of the group to leave the room.

Pidge followed behind him, Allura in tow. “He’s right. The castle lights are going to dim down soon. Go to sleep guys.”

“Right, like you sleep, Pidge,” Hunk teased.

“Oh whatever Hunk. Not like you haven’t pulled a few all-nighters baking. That’s right, I know about your failed attempts at cookies, brownies, cake, cupcakes…”

Hunk blushed, shushing her. “You were supposed to keep that a secret, Pidge!”

“Maybe next time,” she smirked.

She left the room, and only Keith, Hunk, and Shiro were left.

“I’m going to go train for a bit. Don’t stay up too late, you two,” Shiro chided. He walked out, giving Keith a meaningful look on his way. He knew Keith’s insomnia would probably be even worse tonight.

“Yup, we got it Shiro. Have fun training!” Hunk called after him.

It was quiet for a few seconds. The two of them just stood, neither making any move to indicate leaving or staying.

“So,” Keith cleared his throat, “Cookies? Cupcakes? What are you trying to make those for?”

Hunk scratched the side of his face, a sheepish smile forming. “Your birthday is coming up soon, and Lance and I wanted to make something special for you. We figured since you never had a ‘real’ birthday celebration on Earth, we’d give you a proper one in space. Because… well… you know, we’re your space family.”

Keith felt a bloom in his chest. Lance and Hunk had planned something for him? He was struck with a question a moment later.

“Wait… how did you guys know it was my birthday soon?”

“I’m not supposed to tell you.”

“Come on, Hunk. Please?”

“Nope. I swore to Lance I’d keep my mouth shut.”

“Fine, be like that. I didn’t need to know anyway.”

Hunk eyed him suspiciously. “That’s it? No blackmail? No teasing?”

Keith just shrugged. Any other day, he would’ve had the energy to push the questions, but today he was just tired. He needed rest. The silence in the room went unnoticed by Keith until Hunk spoke up.

“Okay, buddy. I’m going to go sleep now. Goodnight!”

Keith smiled and nodded in response, watching Hunk walk out the door. When he turned back around, he was met with the sight of Lance once again, healing in the pod. He felt a slight throb in his chest. Now that the rest of the paladins were gone, Keith had a moment to breathe since getting back. It had been less than an hour, and he already felt overwhelmed. The tears were forming before he even realized.

Damn… he really was really about to cry again. It didn’t make sense. Nothing life-threatening happened. Lance was fine in retrospect. He was healing in the pod, they were safe in the castle, and the planet they were supposed to liberate was free now. But Keith just couldn’t call it a good day. Not even close to an okay one. Lance was hurt which made him hurt and the whole situation was just not ideal.

Keith started sniffling, the quiet room making his noises all too loud. The last time this happened Shiro had just gone missing, but Lance was there. He always was.

-

Keith was confused. And hurt, and angry, and frustrated, and all the other emotions associated with complete and utter loss. Shiro was gone. They couldn’t find him, and they needed to form Voltron. He had just broken down in front of the team, further proving his inability to lead the paladins. But Black had chosen _him_ , for some godforsaken reason. Moments after he stormed away, Lance was there.

“Keith, no one can replace Shiro. But the black lion wouldn’t choose anybody it didn’t feel was worthy to lead Voltron. I respect its decision.”

With just that, Keith felt just a little bit better. Yes, Lance didn’t say much. But it was more than enough to communicate what he needed to.

“Thanks, Lance. You’re not so bad sometimes.”

A heart-stopping smile was sent his way. “Anytime, Mullet.”

-

“You said anytime, idiot. Please wake up soon,” Keith whispered to the pod. Lance couldn’t hear him, he knew. But he found it a little calming, almost as if he was really talking to the red paladin. Before, he would’ve pummeled Lance for making one of his stupid jokes, but now they were all Keith wanted to hear. He missed Lance’s voice, his unbroken one. He couldn’t get Lance’s rasping out of his mind, the labored breathing replaying and replaying. He wanted it to stop.

Keith let out a curse. He needed sleep. The events of the day were too much for him to handle at the moment.

Walking down the familiar hallway, Keith stopped for a moment in front of Lance’s room. Glancing at it and hearing an unfamiliar silence, he kept walking. He fell into a fitful sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this all in one sitting whoops. Next chapter is finished too, so keep an eye out sometime today for an update ;)


	8. Chapter 8

The first thing Lance was aware of when he was out of the healing pod was his face on the floor of the castle. That was going to leave a bruise.

The next thing he was aware of was Shiro’s strong arms lifting him up and the other asking, “Lance, are you okay?”

Lance laughed in response, brushing Shiro off with a “Yeah, yeah, Shiro. Are you? You smell like you haven’t showered in days.”

Shiro gave Lance an incredulous smile, the comment seeming to amuse him. “I’ll get the others, but don’t be surprised if Hunk is here in a few minutes. He’s been keeping tabs on you every other hour, and his next check-up is soon.”

As if he was summoned, Hunk was entering the room before Shiro even made his move to leave, bolting towards Lance when he saw the red paladin out of the pod.

“Lance, I missed you so much!” Hunk wailed, crashing into Lance and hugging him so tightly it was difficult to breathe.

“I… missed you… too Hunk,” Lance breathed out. “A little room, please? My arm is still a tiny bit sore.”

Hunk loosened his vice-like grip slightly, allowing Lance to take a deep breath in. “Oh, sorry. I was just so worried. We all were. I missed you so much, Lance! It’s been days!”

Lance glanced over at Shiro, and he nodded in confirmation. Days? He’d been out for days? It felt like only hours, but his jello legs said otherwise.

“I’m going to go get Pidge and the others now. Catch up with Hunk,” Shiro told him. Lance nodded, excited to talk to Hunk again.

“So, what happened while I was out? What happened before I was out? Everything after Keith got me out of Red is a little fuzzy,” Lance trailed off uncomfortably.

“We had to free the planet, right? And to do that, we had to infiltrate the galra base and remove their forces. Remember how you went to assist Keith after the base had more galra than we thought? And once you guys were finished, you left at separate times because your lions weren’t together?”

Lance nodded in affirmation to all of this. “I know all of that, Hunk, but what happened after that?”

Hunk recounted the events following. He described Lance’s ambush, Red crashing, his distress signal, and Keith picking up on it. Lance was caught up on everything, from the moment of Keith’s panic to the moment he woke up. He sucked in a breath.

“Wow. That’s… a lot to take in.”

Hunk nodded in agreement, mouth in a sympathetic smile. Lance was hugged once again.

“But it’s good that you’re okay now, because if you stayed in the pod any longer we all would’ve gone crazy,” Hunk remarked.

Coran and Allura came crashing in a minute after, wrapping him up in a hug.

“Ish like Ih in a ateah sanwih,” he mumbled between them, trying and failing to speak.

“Lance, you’re awake,” Coran cried, sniffling his nose. “I just want to let you know now that you’re my favorite paladin, besides Allura of course, so don’t do that again.”

Allura maintained her composure, gently speaking. “It’s good that you’re back, Lance.”

They let go of him, and Lance smiled gratefully at them both. “Thanks, guys.”

It was quiet for a moment. Hunk broke the silence, asking Lance what it was like inside the pod. Depending on the severity of injuries and an individual’s state of mind, experiences in the healing pod varied.

Lance told Hunk excitedly, drawing in Coran and Allura as well. Shiro walked in mid-sentence, and he motioned for the older man to come join them. He continued his story, and Keith’s name may or may not have popped up a few times.

Lance was almost finished when Pidge came barreling toward him, Lance wrapping her up in a hug. He saw Keith walking toward them out of the corner of his eye.

“Pidge! I missed you, midget.”

“Well, we definitely didn’t miss you,” she teased, tone laced with affection.

“You wound me, Pidge. But I know you guys couldn’t have survived without my jokes.”

The younger girl sighed. “You’re right. We missed you a lot.”

He winked at her.

“I’m really glad you’re okay, Lance,” she told him, hugging him tightly.

“We all are,” Allura added on.

Hunk seemed to tear up. “That’s it. I can’t help it. Group hug guys!” he declared, pushing everyone in toward Lance. The red paladin was squished between six bodies, feeling the love and feeling a little suffocated.

“Aw, I love you guys too,” he drawled, wide smile on his face.

The hug lasted for a few seconds, no one making any indication of moving until Pidge complained about it being too hot under everyone.

They all separated, and it was then that Lance noticed Keith again. He stood on the outskirts of the group, arms crossed and eyes downcast. He looked uncomfortable, and a little out of his element. Lance approached him silently, gesturing the others for a moment of privacy. They left the room without a word, and Keith still didn’t move.

“Hey, man. You okay?” Lance asked gently, trying to meet Keith’s eyes.

He was surprised by the sudden hug Keith gave him, tensing up.

“Don’t pull anything like that again,” the other mumbled into his shoulder. Lance could feel his shoulder getting slightly wet, and he relaxed completely, hugging the shorter man and running his hand through Keith’s hair soothingly. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Keith silently crying and Lance doing his best to comfort him. Even after Keith calmed down, they stayed hugging, basking in each other’s presence for a few seconds.

Lance pulled away from Keith a tiny bit. He looked terrible, like he hadn’t slept in days. Up close, Lance could see the dark circles under the other’s red-rimmed eyes. Keith felt skinnier too, and his whole body seemed barely hold him up. He was still frowning, and Lance tried smoothing out the crease between Keith’s eyebrows with his thumb.

The moment was strangely intimate, and they both seemed to be holding their breath. Lance was the first to realize though, quickly pulling away and coughing awkwardly into his hand.

“Sorry… about that. Whatever that was. I shouldn’t have done that. That’s the kind of stuff that you do with the person you like.”

Keith looked at him, confused. “What do you mean, ‘the person I like?’”

“I mean,” Lance looked away, disguising the sharp pang in his chest with a laugh, “you said there was someone you liked, right? Before we went on the mission. You should do that stuff with the person you like.”

The other gave him a half-smile, looking almost amused, “What?”

Lance looked at him incredulously, scoffing, “Yeah, you don’t remember? You asked for crush advice, and I said that you should tell them, and if they don’t get it even then than they’re too dumb for you.”

“Oh. That,” Keith replied simply. “I don’t think they like me back.”

Lance felt guilty for feeling his mood improve slightly. “Really? Then whoever they are, they’re an idiot. You’re one of the best people in the universe, Keith.”’

“Yeah, you are an idiot sometimes, Lance,” Keith smirked, cheeks flushing red.

“Me? An idiot? We weren’t even talking about…” Lance trailed off.

_Oh._

Lance’s face went from realization, to confusion, to a mix of different emotions. He stayed confused the longest, and when he looked up, Keith was biting his lip nervously, crossing his arms in a defensive position again.

“But… why me?” he asked.

Keith looked up, seemingly surprised at his question. “Just… because.”

Lance flinched slightly at his answer, expecting so much more and nothing else. His face fell into one of masked disappointment, and he stayed quiet.

“Well, I mean…” Keith started up again, “you know I’m not good with words. When I say ‘just because’ it’s more than that. I can’t express it right now, but-“

Lance decided the disappointment wasn't worth it and cut him off with a hug, stopping Keith’s rambling. He laid his chin on the top of Keith’s head. “It’s okay, Keith. I know.”

He felt the other’s arms wrapping around his waist, Keith nodding into his chest.

“I like you too,” Lance whispered, kissing the top of Keith’s head gently. Keith squeezed him tighter, embarrassed by the affectionate action. Lance just chuckled lightly, making Keith squeeze him even more.

“I was worried about you. So much,” Keith said from under Lance, referring to the healing pod situation and gesturing to his still-wrapped midsection and arm.

“Keith, you don’t have to-“

“No, I want to,” Keith cut Lance off. “You’re important to me, Lance. I don’t know when it happened, but I realized I started caring for you a lot more than I realized. When you were in the pod, I was so lost, and scared. I thought you were going to die, especially after I left you with Hunk. It was like I couldn’t- I couldn’t breathe.”

Lance tried to hush him, rubbing Keith’s back comfortingly.

“And when Coran said your injuries were worse than we originally thought I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t do anything without getting distracted. I didn’t want to lose you. I _don’t_ want to lose you.”

Lance’s hand stilled.

“Because I like you, Lance. I like you more than I can express in words right now, and I’m so happy right now but I’m also so heartbroken that you had to go through the ambush and everything because of me.”

“Whoa whoa whoa whoa. Cool your jets, Keith.”

The other looked up, surprised at Lance’s interruption.

“Are you blaming yourself for this whole mess?” Lance asked.

He knew the silence was a yes.

“Keith, that wasn’t your fault. It was my decision to go help you after we saw how may galra were in that base. It was my decision to leave Red in a different location than Black, and it was our decision for me to go first. Not just you, but also me. So don’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Yeah, but-“

“Don’t you dare ‘but’ me. I almost died just now, and you really want to tell me I’m wrong?”

Keith pouted, glaring up at Lance. The Cuban almost lost his train of thought, getting distracted by the boy looking at him.

Lance cleared his throat. “Right, so, don’t blame yourself Keith. You couldn’t have done anything about it, okay?”

Keith didn’t say anything. Lance tried again.

“Ooookay?”

The other nodded this time.

“Okay okay okay?”

“Fine! Yes, okay,” Keith gave up. Lance smiled.

“Good, then let’s go and meet the others.”

“Okay,” Keith smiled.

Lance dragged him by the hand out to the commons room, where the most noise seemed to be coming from.

“And Lance?” Keith asked.

“Hmm?” he looked back.

“You’re definitely not ‘too dumb’ for me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHOOOOO and we're at the end of my first muti-chapter !!!! Thank you sm for reading loves. I might add a bonus chapter sometime soon, so keep an eye out for that haha  
> You guys are the best !!!


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